BroadbandChoices.co.uk asked broadband users to rate their ISP across six different areas: (1) Quality and reliability, (2) download time, (3) clarity of pricing and billing, (4) aftersales support, (5) good value for money and (6) speed of service activation. Top of the class were PlusNet, Sky Broadband and Pipex.
Michael Phillips, product director at BroadbandChoices.co.uk, said: “We weren’t surprised to see PlusNet at the top of the table. Being a relatively small provider compared to the other contenders in this category, allows them to really focus on customer service and deliver consistently across the board. It has a UK-based call centre, which is important, as in a recent poll by Mori almost 80 per cent of British people said that they didn’t like getting through to foreign call centres . This has helped it to achieve the highest score in ‘after sales support’. It also has very clear and up front language on things like ‘download limits’
so customers know exactly where they stand.”
Around 4,000 households were surveyed to see who’s coming out top for customer satisfaction in the UK. Across all six categories, the ISPs by overall customer satisfaction were:
1. PlusNet
2. Sky Broadband
3. Pipex
4. Tiscali UK
5. Virgin Media
6. AOL Broadband
7. BT Broadband
8. Talk Talk
9. Tesco
10. Orange
The results concluded that PlusNet was the broadband supplier that gave the most consistent levels of customer satisfaction. Scoring the highest level of satisfaction, 88.3 per cent, in ‘quality and reliability’ and coming out top in five of the six categories. Sky Broadband was a close second, ranking at the top of the table in ‘clarity of pricing and billing’.
Not doing so well in the rankings were Orange and Tesco. Tesco came bottom of the table in ‘quality and reliability’ and Orange lost the customer vote for ‘after sales support’ . Phillips says, “Tesco’s broadband proposition hasn’t fundamentally altered for some time now, so if things don’t start change soon, it could find itself being left behind in a fast moving market.”
Michael Phillips comments, “Orange coming bottom of the table only goes to show the importance of ‘after sales support’, in the light of their recent results. Bad service is one of the contributing factors that is driving UK broadband customers to swap ISPs in search of a better deal. Internet service providers are increasingly faced with the challenge of holding onto their existing users in a highly competitive market, and this is certainly an area they can’t afford to slip up on”
“Our customer satisfaction results demonstrate that price should not be the only deciding factor. PlusNet and Sky’s performance demonstrate that you can get excellent value for money by switching to the right package, which can offer reliable connection speeds, faster downloads and better quality customer service.
“Consumers must consider the level of service they will get from their ISP after they have signed 12 or even 18 month contracts, rather than being swayed by flashy advertising and introductory pricing offers,” concludes Philips.